Wheel Life: ROLLING RETRO
Douglas Keister is a treasure hunter.
But, the treasures he seeks are not buried under the ground, they travel on it.
Keister crisscrosses the continent chasing down unique or painstakingly restored recreational vehicles – not to own, but to photograph and document.
“It takes a lot of detective work,” says Keister from his office in Chico, Calif.
“I spend a great deal of time on the phone and Internet verifying leads before going out in the field,” he says.
To date, photographer and author Keister has 31 picture-driven books to his credit, three of them on RVs.
“I specialize in human-scale architecture and have published books about bungalows and cottages,” says Keister. “RVs are a continuation of that theme – they are small architecture that just happens to have wheels.”
Keister’s three books on RVs tell a comprehensive history of homes-on-wheels; from covered wagons to contemporary motor coaches.
His most recent book, “Mobile Mansions: Taking Home Sweet Home on the Road,” details the diversity of restored motor homes.
His first RV book, “Ready to Roll: A Celebration of the Classic American Travel Trailer,” was published in 2003 followed by “Silver Palaces: America’s Streamlined Trailers” in 2004 (see details below).
Each of these coffee table books includes hundreds of color images, including scores of vintage rigs from the Pacific Northwest.
To be considered “vintage,” a trailer must be at least 25 years old and a motor home at least 20 years old.
Vern and Kathey Heaney of Bend, Ore., have owned their 1951 International Metro Step Van for more than 35 years.
When the Heaneys retired in the early 1990s they hitched a 31-foot Airstream to the back of the Metro and lived full time on the road for five years, logging more than 100,000 miles.
“We traveled all the way from the Yucatan to Alaska,” says Vern Heaney. “I remember we got a lot of attention in Newfoundland.”
James Weaver of Port Townsend, Wash., stumbled onto his 1972 26-foot Krager a little more than two years ago.
“It was pretty much in a state of disrepair,” says Weaver, who spent almost every spare minute of the next three months bringing it back to life.
Weaver, who had never owned an RV, says that even if he could have afforded a new motor coach he would never have bought one.
“I have an aversion to the large motor homes,” he says.
“This was an opportunity for me to get something very unusual,” he says, “and put some hard work into it and get something that I really like a lot.”
Information
“To learn more about Douglas Keister’s photographs and books, go to www.keisterphoto.com or call (530) 892-1025.
“”Mobile Mansions: Taking Home Sweet Home on the Road” by Douglas Keister (Gibbs Smith, $24.95, 160 pages, paperback, 2006) ISBN: 1586857738. This detailed RV guide showcases the diversity of “lovingly restored” motor homes on the road today.
“”Silver Palaces: America’s Streamlined Trailers” by Douglas Keister (Gibbs Smith, $24.95, 160 pages, paperback, 2004) ISBN: 158685352X. There are more than 300 images (many of them stunning) of classic travel trailers from the ‘30s through ‘60s.
“”Ready to Roll: A Celebration of the Classic American Travel Trailer” by Arrol Gellner and Douglas Keister (Viking Studio Books, $32.95, 192 pages, paperback, 2003) ISBN: 0670030554. The book is crammed with hundreds of photographs and illustrations that chronicle “the evolution of the trailer, from the utilitarian covered wagon to the aristocratic Airstream” and the “camaraderie of groups like the Tin Can Tourists.”
“There is a “Mobile Mansions” one-hour DVD that covers material from the three books, plus extras such as rare archival photos, advertisements and old movie footage ($18.95, 2006). “It’s like educational television,” says Keister.
Vintage associations
There are a number of groups and companies organized around the vintage travel trailers and motor homes.
“A place to begin is the Tin Can Tourists (www.tincantourists.com). This group of more than 600 members is “dedicated to the celebration of classic trailers and motor coaches” through annual gatherings. Membership is $20. For more information go online or write to Forrest Bone, 4 High St., Bradenton, FL 34208.
“Vintage Trailer Links (www.vintagetrailerlinks.com) bills itself as the best vintage trailer link site on the Web. There are dozens of links to many types of trailers, including Airstream, Spartan, Clipper, Shasta and teardrops.
“Vintage Airstream Club (www.vintageairstream.com) covers a broad range of topics related to the restoration of Airstream travel trailers that are at least 25 years old.